45% rise in sanctions leaves more jobseekers destitute
A big rise in the number of sanction referrals handed out by jobcentres and other advisors means more jobseekers have moved into destitution.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has today released figures for sanctions - the act of removing benefits for a perceived offence - showing more have had money removed than ever before.
In 2011 - itself a record year - 1.34 million sanctions were handed out.